MechChem Africa January 2017

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

Voith recently unveiled its new TurboBelt 500 TPXL fluid coupling at MINExpo in Las Vegas, USA. The fill-controlled coupling is the first in the new TPXL family to incorporate intelligent control technology. New intelligent couplings for belt conveyor drives

T he integrated controller incorpo- rated into the new Voith TPXL fill- controlledcouplingmakes it possible to adapt the output torque of the coupling to theexact start-up requirementsof the belt conveyor system. In addition, Voith’s engineers have been able to considerably reduce the dimensions of the new coupling, so that the TurboBelt 500TPXL only requires half the volume of conventional coupling types for the same transmission force. In addition to the operational advantages, the new series of couplings also offers attractive procurement and operating costs. Operation of the TurboBelt 500 TPXL is simple and user-friendly. After the required torque for the belt and the basic start-up pa- rameters havebeen transmitted, the coupling automatically calculates theoptimumfill level in real time and fills or drains theworking cir- cuit accordingly. Equippedwitha self-learning function, it simultaneously stores all relevant operational data in order to align the control behaviour optionally with the nominal value, depending on the respective load situation and previous empirical values. This is enabled by the plug-and-play design of the TurboBelt 500 TPXL. An inte- grated controller, an integrated pump and a new oil supply unit are part of the coupling concept. Thus the components are optimally matched to one another and pave theway for predictive, requirement-oriented and cost- optimised maintenance of the coupling. The controller monitors the entire sensor system of the coupling and provides operationally relevant information, such as the condition of the oil filter, evenby remote access, if desired. As a self-contained system, the coupling can easily be put into operation without long interruptions of production. In order to allow for the integration intonewaswell as existing drive trains, Voith offers a version with bear- ings on both sides for standalone use, as well as a variant with bearings on the output side for direct motor connection. Thanks to the hydrodynamic operat- ing principle, power transmission via the TurboBelt500TPXLiswear-freeanddoesnot require a mechanical connection. New vanes with the XL profile double the power density of the coupling in comparison to conventional coupling types. This means that only half the

volume is required to transmit the same force. The hydrodynamic circuit of the coupling limits the torque in the driveline to a fixed, predetermined value, which protects the belt and the drive components from damage due to overloading. This minimises maintenance costs and increases the lifetimeof the system. Motors can be run up to speed under no-load conditions and staggered in time using the fill control system. This minimises the current peaks that always occur when motors are switched on and reduces the load placed on the power grid. In parallel with the integrated controller unit, whichcontrols theoil supply to thework- ingcircuit,amongstotherthings,theTurboBelt 500TPXL is alsoequippedwithafieldbus unit.

product line-up includes low and high voltage electric motors, vibrator motors, variable speeds drives, soft-starters, power and distribution transformers, MCCs, con- tainerised substations, mini-substations, diesel generator sets, switchgear and co- generation and energy solutions, as well as electricalandinstrumentationconstruction and project execution services. According to Claassen, this enables the Zest WEG Group to exercise total control over the packaged solution, which includes shortening lead times andoffering custom- ers the flexibility of meeting exact applica- tion requirements. The electrical solution for Yanfolila Gold Mine includes a 2 000 kW, 6 pole, 6,6 kV squirrel cage WEG electric motor, a medium voltage WEG Variable Speed Drive (VSD) and a dry type phase shift transformer. The VSD and transformer will be housed in a custom-engineered and -manufacturedsub-station.Thesub-station will be manufactured and fully tested at Zest WEG Group’s sub-station and panel facility in Johannesburg. “An important advantage to customers of this ‘plug-and-play solution’ is that the fully completed electrical solution will be shipped to site from a single OEM,” Claassen says. q With this, Voith is laying the foundation for the mine of the future. Thanks to connected componentsovertheentireextractionprocess, operators can profit from high conveyance performance and increased productivity as well as from increased work safety. q The Voith TurboBelt 500 TPXL comes with an integrated controller and offers condition monitoring as well as remote access.

Energy-efficient solution for Yanfolila Gold Access to an OEM that can cover the full elec- trical scopeof supply for mill applications is ama- jor advantage and is

what secured the Zest WEG Group the contract for the supply of an energy-efficient solution to drive the mill at Yanfolila Gold Project in Mali. The Yanfolila Gold Project inMali is be- ing developed by Hummingbird Resources as a low cost, high-grade open pit mining operation with its first gold production targeted for 2017. Following close collabo- rationwith themill OEM, ZestWEGGroup provided an optimum solution, which will meet the performance parameters of the milling circuitwhilst ensuring cost-efficient operation. David Claassen (above), executive at ZestWEGGroup, says that this is agoodex- ampleofwherethegroupisabletoleverage not only its extensive expertise in electrical solutions formill circuits, but its access to a comprehensive range of quality products. Zest WEG Group is the South African subsidiary of leading Brazilian motor and controls manufacturer, WEG. The group’s

January 2017 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11